Cost of living in Dunbar, West Virginia

Dunbar, West Virginia has about 7,254 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $119,600.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Kanawha County is $1,048 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Dunbar. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Charleston, WV metro area, prices sit at 88.7 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

West Virginia taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 6.6% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Dunbar's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical West Virginia home paid 15.78¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Dunbar's bill.

EIA does not publish a West Virginia gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C) all-grades price was $4.035 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $1,936.80 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in West Virginia shares this price.

Among 128 places we list in West Virginia with a rent figure, 38 have higher typical rent than Dunbar.